The 25 Best Cigars of the Year 2007

Fuente Fuente OpusX PerfecXion No. 2

If you're looking for a stunning pyramid with bold, full flavors, it's hard to improve upon the Fuente Fuente OpusX. No brand in modern memory has sparked as much demand. The cigar is prized for its rare wrapper, a leaf grown under shade in the Dominican Republic. Sales have long been limited, boxes very difficult to come by. Unlike many things in life, the buzz around this brand is entirely justified.

At one time OpusX cigars seemed to be sacrificing balance for strength -- they were undeniably powerful, but they seemed to be missing the stabilizing sweetness that the brand first exhibited when it debuted in 1995. Those days appear to be over. This PerfecXion No. 2 is glorious, an impeccably crafted 6 3/8-inch x 52-ring pyramid with a solid backbone of power tempered by a delightful sweetness and richness. A coffee-bean note joins the signature OpusX spice and leather flavors (any cigar smoker who claims not to have tasted leather has not smoked an OpusX). It's a complex masterpiece, as delicious to smoke as it is to behold.